I’m back! I have to apologise for my recent absence (not that anyone probably noticed but anyway), I got a few weeks of summer work so I’ve been busier than usual. I’m so happy I finally got some work – it’s nice to have a routine, something to do and, of course, to pay the bills.
Laurence and I are well and truly settled into our new apartment now, we’ve been there nearly 3 months now. It’s definitely beginning to feel like a home, despite the fact we haven’t had much time to properly sort everything out so it’s a bit chaotic at the moment! We’re trying to declutter each room bit by bit which I think is the best way to do it. Then again I’m the sort of person who unpacks their suitcase 6 months after coming back from holiday so…
I’ve been really enjoying doing little bits of decor around the flat. I think because it’s not student accommodation it makes me more inclined to make it look pretty because I know we won’t be moving out of there any time soon I thought I’d share a few tips on how to add a more personal touch to a rented apartment/house. Obviously because we are renting we can’t paint or drill loads of holes in the walls so that does limit us a bit but there are still plenty of ways to jazz up your space – without losing your deposit!
1. Add a pop of colour
It sounds so basic but adding a couple of pops of bright colour around the place really does brighten the place up and makes it look a bit more stylish. My mum bagged a pre-loved hot pink bedside table and gave it to me. After a bit of a clean and some finishing touches I placed it in the hallway, so when you walk in you see a bright pop of pink. Such a simple touch but everyone notices it when they walk through the door!
You can also add colour with rugs, flowers and throws – our sofas at the moment are a kind of beige colour which is grand but can look a bit dull. I found some interesting throws and colourful scarves and lay them across the sofas to 1) hide the original sofa colour and 2) brighten up the living room. I arranged some cool cushions that I thought went with the throw colours and voila! A brighter, cozier looking living area.
2. Get creative with space
Some rented places don’t have very much space for storage or extras, which can be annoying. For example, our current kitchen has less storage than our student flat unfortunately. I love the IKEA trolleys but they’re a bit pricey for us at the moment – so we improvised using a bookcase in the kitchen to store all our appliances and I think it works. I’ve even seen people who have spray painted bar carts in bright colours and used them to store kitchen utensils and appliances which I think looks really cool.
I like to put plants and trinkets on windowsills to save space (1 or 2 pieces is plenty unless you want to fling your belongings on to your neighbour’s back garden every time you open a window). Again, IKEA sell nice little coffee tables for the modest sum of €7 – you wouldn’t do much damage with them if you whacked an intruder over the head with one, but they’re nice to decorate. Jazz them up using patterned contact paper, spray paint them, stencil them or just put a tablecloth over them.
3. Light up your life
Never underestimate the importance of good lighting. We’ve all been there in a Penneys changing room wondering why they use lights that make us look like Frodo on crack, haven’t we? Nice lighting can not only make you look better but can also change the atmosphere of the room you’re in. In the evenings I love putting on some fairy lights and a floor lamp instead of having the ‘big light’ on full whack which can be too much sometimes. There’s something about fairy lights that instantly relaxes you! There are loads of cool ones out there now – we have a mix of normal ones, ones on a string with little pegs to hang pictures from, and various decorations that have fairy lights in them like my LED birdcage light.
4. Show your personality
Some people’s houses look so perfect and almost showroom-esque – which can be beautiful, but I like seeing little hints of people’s personalities and tastes thrown in with the way they decorate their house. My friends always say our apartment is very ‘animal themed’ in the sense that a lot of our knick knacks are animal shaped! The main animals are elephants, foxes (2 of my favourite animals and also featured on my tattoos), flamingos, and geese (a nod to our pet names for each other), but birds in general are a recurring theme.
My mum got us the most adorable little ornaments from Portugal – a fox and a goose, of course – and we positioned them on our TV stand side by side. I just love them.
Personal touches like this can really help put your own stamp on your place, and they don’t have to be expensive or massive.
5. Improvise
I’ve been improvising pretty much my whole life and I haven’t died yet so there’s something to be said for it. In this case, I mean get creative – if you can’t put a hook in the wall to hang a painting try Command strips (they allegedly don’t take the paint off) or lighter wall hangings that you can just stick up, such as windchimes and dreamcatchers or little signs.
If you’re on a tight budget for furniture look on DoneDeal, Adverts, Facebook marketplace or even car boot sales – you can find cheap pre-loved furniture to give a new lease of life. Upcycle it by sanding it down, paint it with chalk paint or spray paint, stencil it, use contact paper or wallpaper on it – the world is your oyster and this way you have something you’ve made your own. Plus, upcycled furniture looks amazing!
Another random tip is to keep an eye out for offcuts or samples of funky wallpaper – I was recently in Albany in Sligo and was delighted when I asked if they had any samples and was given a sample of this incredible lemur wallpaper. I’m planning on framing this but at the moment I’m using it as a makeshift tablecloth for the coffee table – you could also upcycle a bedside table with wallpaper, or use it to make collages. It’s a great, free way to add something a bit different to a room and best of all, you’re recycling in a way!
Those are just a few tips if you’re looking for some decorating inspiration. I hope it was helpful if you’ve just moved or if you just feel like a change in your rented dwelling! I acknowledge our apartment is a bit of a mishmash of things but at the end of the day, I like coming home to it, it’s personalised and I’m not about to enter an Ideal Homes exhibition any time soon anyway! 😉
As usual thanks for reading and feel free to let me know your rented house/apartment decorating tips!
life according to lucy 